Critical medical services and other operations of university teaching hospitals in Nigeria have suffered major setbacks since the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) increased the electricity tariff for customers under its Band A category from N66 per kilowatt to N225 in April this year.
There have been reports that the tertiary hospitals pay for electricity supplied to them by the various DisCos in the new threshold and its impact on their services and operations revealed that their monthly bills have either tripled or quadrupled. The worst-affected teaching hospitals are in the first-generation category.
These include University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan in Oyo State; Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika, Zaria in Kaduna State; Bayero University Teaching Hospital, Kano, and the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Ituku Ozalla in Enugu State. Others are Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi (ATBUTH); University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH), Maiduguri in Borno State; Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos, Plateau State, and those owned by state governments.
The case of UCH, Ibadan, is more pathetic. Even before the new tariff regime, it was indebted to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to the tune of N495 million and had its power disconnected. At the going rate, ABUTH pays N75 million monthly, which translates to N2.5 million per day. Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (operated by BUK) pays N119 million per month (approximately N4 million daily). ATBUTH pays N50 million monthly (N1.66 million each day).
JUTH pays N31 million or N1.03 million daily, and UNTH pays N50 million monthly, or N1.66 million daily. Details of ABUTH’s power expenditure showed that the hospital paid between N20 million and N25 million for electricity monthly before the tariff hike. Now, it coughs out N75 million monthly and another N47 million on diesel (due to epileptic power supply), bringing the total to N122 million monthly.
For hospitals that cannot pay their bills, the DisCos instantly disconnects them. That is the plight of the Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University Teaching Hospital (COOUTH), Amaku-Awka, Anambra State, which the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) cut off its power supply for two weeks because its management was unable to pay its bill.
